Purchase of equipment for four Ukrainian museums from UNESCO

In the fall of 2022, after the massive shelling of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy requested assistance from UNESCO for Ukrainian museums. The international organization announced a call for proposals for the implementation of a financial support program, which was won by the NGO Museum for Change. At that time we have already had a huge relevant experience — in total, since the beginning of the full-scale war, we have helped more than 60 cultural institutions receive funds from various international funds and donors.

Thus, the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine used the funds to purchase an EcoFlow charging station, a Bluetti charging station, fire-proof safe for valuable objects, an exhaust laboratory cabinet, and an air-alarm warning system for employees and visitors.

The museum workers explained how exactly the equipment works: “The portable charging stations allow us to keep the security alarm system and freezers, where biological objects are stored for further scientific study. We store reference specimens of animals, plants, meteorites, and the most valuable and rare fossil fauna and flora in fireproof safes. This is very important for the normal functioning and safe preservation of collections during the war.”

The Taras Shevchenko National Museum has purchased an EcoFlow charging station, a diesel generator, five dehumidifiers, a backup power supply, as well as cans for gasoline and boxes for storing archival documents, graphics and textiles.

The National Museum “Kyiv Picture Gallery” purchased three air dryers, six uninterruptible power supplies, 10 Lanterns, three battery power inverters, as well as cans for gasoline and an uninterruptible power supply for the security system.

As part of the grant programme, the Khanenko Museum was able to restore the security and fire safety system, as well as purchase a special table and metal cabinets for the conservation department and 30 fire extinguishers. UNESCO also has funded comprehensive scientific research and conservation project for the further restoration of the wooden doors and building of the Khanenko Museum, which were damaged by a Russian missile explosion on October 10, 2022.

Yuliia Vaganova

director of the Khanenko Museum

“Thanks to UNESCO’s assistance, the museum was able to conduct an instrumental study of the building, 3D scanning of the historic interiors, and a project to restore the historic front door: studying the wood, fasteners, and chemical composition of the coating. This stage is crucial for further restoration and had to be done as soon as possible. It was also made possible thanks to the professional trust and expertise of Museum For Change, which acted as a partner and operator of this grant. This also confirms the ability of Ukrainian governmental and non-governmental institutions to interact effectively and horizontally for rebuilding”

The assistance to four national museums was the second project of Museum for Change in cooperation with UNESCO. Read about other joint activities in the Our Projects section.For the Museum for Change team, it was important to implement this project as evidence of the real support of Ukrainian museums by international organizations.

“For us, in this project, it was important not only to buy the necessary equipment but also to demonstrate to Ukrainian museums that we have strong support from the most famous intergovernmental organization, that we are not alone,”

Oleksandra Kovalchuk

Co-founder of Museum for Change and deputy director of development at the Odesa Fine Art Museum